Black propaganda jumpstarts 2025 campaign

It appears that the early stage of the campaign for the 2025 local elections is now in earnest.

From the distribution of Christmas ham to the transfer of voter registration of known personalities, the activity of several political figures in the past months has now been topped by the appearance on social media of a purported appeal from a concerned Bicolano citizen.

The conveniently unidentified author calls on the government to investigate what he or she claims to be the increasing number of Chinese citizens in Catanduanes who have reportedly bought most of the beach front properties.

Not content with accusing all of the Cua family members, including their spouses, as pure Chinese, the author alleged that in a very short time, all the ships and gas stations was well as malls, bus companies, markets, private cemeteries, resorts, ports and private wharves, copra and abaca businesses, hotels and restaurants have been acquired by the Cuas.

The “story” also claims that the family also owns all radio stations and tabloid newspapers, with their listed owners only acting as dummies.

It alleges the Cuas run the illegal coal mining in Catanduanes, with the coal brought to China. Hell, it even makes the laughable assertion about the sudden establishment of a Chinabank branch in the island and claims that the blue float of US origin recently recovered by Caramoran fishermen was a monitoring equipment dropped by Chinese explorers near Benham Rise.

In also citing the interesting case of Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, the mischievous author attempts to indirectly raise a similar anti-Chinese sentiment among Catandunganons.

If we are to believe this obvious piece of black propaganda, San Andres Mayor Leo Mendoza is also pure Chinese along with Carlito Tariman of Silangan Trading and Cardinal Shipping Lines, and the growing number of local residents and former OFWs who have invested in beach resorts, hotels and restaurants.

The target of this deceptive disinformation is apparently the Cua brothers, with the mastermind obviously going after the top executive post in the local government unit.

Surely, the man or woman behind the agitprop could not be former Governor Cely Wong or any of her sons who are focused on the family businesses.

Catanduanes State University President Patrick Alain Azanza is also out, as many political observers see his Facebook post a few months ago criticizing the governor as only a feint for his real ambition to be a member of Congress.

Another prominent personality mentioned to be angling for the Capitol’s top post is retired Lieutenant General Macairog Sabeniano Alberto, who once headed the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP). He is too much of a gentleman, being a PMA graduate, to dabble in the not-too-honorable pastime of casting aspersions on fellow Catandunganons.

To their credit, both the governor and vice governor have chosen not to comment on the campaign dirt now circulating among netizens.

They most likely remember past, hotly contested elections when their rivals wrapped “tawas” in plastic along with a paper accusing the Cuas of being drug lords and then indiscriminately scattered them on streets on the eve of election day.

Now that the ‘war’ for political control of the island has started with this unimpressive firework, the voters should expect more of the same dirt in the next few months as candidates try to influence public opinion.

But most of the electorate know that all this noise will amount to nothing come May 12, 2025 when the basic truths of Catanduanes elections come to the fore: past favors do count and when money talks, the majority listens.